Irritated that families on UC get heavily discounted entry

[happybug1234]

feel very aggrieved this afternoon to find out that people on UC get heavily discounted entry to popular attractions:

London Zoo
London transport museum
science museum wonderlab
Cutty Sark
kew Gardens
St Paul’s cathedral

As a mum with a professional career, with both husband and I working full time, paying a mortgage, paying a fortune in childcare for 2 under 4’s I seriously despair! From experience of people I see around me, families on UC seem to have more disposable income than us as their rent is paid, have no childcare costs and all their costs subsidised on social tariffs etc.

why is the government getting away with this and why are more middle class/income people not up in arms about it! At the moment I can’t see how us working hard and being self sufficient has benefited us as a family.

Did Jenrick say he was a 'mum with a professional career'? I mean, it's a stretch, I guess.

They may not be able to afford the Zoo but cathedrals are free is you go to a service and you are always welcome to stay afterwards.

In addition London zoo does 2 for 1 with national train travel or get in free with your blue Peter badge!

I don’t begrudge people with less than me getting discounts to things. I work with people who live in desperate poverty. Hand to mouth. Poor housing conditions, health inequalities…I could go on and on.

However, I don’t believe our governments do enough to support working parents.

And some of the attractions you listed cost a fortune for anyone, professional or otherwise. Do they really need to charge so much?

You are aiming your annoyance at the wrong people OP.

I am a professional who is considered to be a high earner (£70k plus) but I come from a single parent home. My mum had nothing and I know if she saved up to take me on a day out she would have benefited hugely from the discount at an attraction. Really these type of places were outwith her reach.

Agreed, I know someone on benefits who goes on holiday every school holiday! No way could we do that.

Its not moaning though is it, its daily threads spreading misinformation and Instead of listening to people who are on benefits and actually understand how they work. People choose to believe the my neighbours cousins , sisters friend gets this and there's nothing wrong with her. Getting reduced entry into places like London zoo is nice for families on low incomes but the reality is, it's unusable for about 80% of families. I'm on uc but I couldn't afford to get my kids to London to go, we live no where near london

Maybe 'honest Bob' was taken as username?

I think they should get some sort of discount but in a lot of places the discount is ridiculous. Me and DH went somewhere and it cost us £30 each (no discount for pensioners) but anyone on benefits got in for £1. It's a joke.

Also why do people on universal credit not have to pay tax on it? I get the state pension at a very slightly higher rate because I never opted out of serps and have to pay tax on it. My neighour gets more in uc and doesn't pay a penny in tax.

Maybe you need to learn to budget your money better then

Oh well, just have to suck it up then.

Im getting fed up of all the extra help those on UC receive. Lower CT lower, water bills and help towards rising energy costs. It is unfair to those who have to subsidise those who are on lower incomes. The middle earners can't keep paying extra for this. The extra costs which are passed onto full paying customers are going to have to stop at some point as the people they are adding the cost onto won't be bale to afford to go either.

A quick google shows that all children under 4 are free entry to Kew Gardens.

so many, many families can take their kids for free - the adult(s) have to pay.

I think its a great idea to enable DC from low income households to experience these things. It's gatekeeping these sort of educational and cultural experiences to the 'middle classes' who can afford them, that perpetuates the class divide and keeps privilege passing down the generations, which I'm strongly against. So much so as someone who can afford it, I'd be happy to pay extra if it meant these DC could go at discounted rates. From each according to their means...

And if it's anything like the time I needed a food bank referral from the JC, the foodbank wont deliver and will be 3 bus rides away which will cost more in bus fare than the value of the food they send you. Helpful!

As long as the tax payer isn’t paying I don’t care, its up to companies what they choose to do.

Why not give up work then if you’re no better off? I have a friend who lost her job and had to go on UC temporarily. She had £250 a month to pay all her bills, food and other expenses for her and two children once her rent was paid. She didn’t put her heating on at all over the winter because she needed the money for food. It’s a miserable existence for many.

What about Children in Need or other charities that support disadvantaged families, do you have a problem with those too?

Same! always going out too yet claiming everything under the sun.

But there loads of people using food banks that don't need or shouldn't need to. Have big family cars, nice clothes but not feeding their kids and relying on food banks and depriving people who really need food banks.

It bothers me about things that I don't miss out on too. I just think this country has got the workers and the ones who are prepared to work, those who can't or work and don't get paid much and lazy fuckers. The middle category i have no issues on receiving additional support to an extent. But I'm getting fed up of the last category doing fuck all, popping out kids and getting everything handed to them. Too many people making bad choices. Having babies. Splitting up. Having more children. Having more and then moaning I need a bigger house because my kids have x,y,z. What hope so these kids have being born in freeloading, lazy families like this.

You don't have to agree with my opinion but when me and my partner work full time and do as many extra hours and decided to have a child later on in life and stop after one (as we also look after another) I'm allowed to look at others and feel it's unjust.

YANBU. I'm as lefty liberal as they come and I think it's grossly unfair.

Everyone gets the £240 a week on reaching state retirement age. Yes, even you. If you've got a pension pot, you'll be able to have that as well as the £240. That's literally how state pension operates.

Have you just landed here from Mars or something? Because you don't seem to understand how anything (life, finances etc) works.

Yet already get support - a cushion - and I believe benefits went up with inflation? Meanwhile I get a measly 3% pay rise at work

I can't get lower ct this is council dependent but I didn't know i could get lower water bills thanks for this il have a look

You know which attractions to avoid to bump into these underserved

I believe it's perfectly fine to moan. We all moan.
Punching down, however, has never made the price of anything cheaper. They'll more likely remove the discounts, which reduces the patronage... driving the costs further outside the reach of those who already cannot afford it with two jobs.

Malice has never improved anyone's life.

You may well not need care. Many people don't, they remain in fairly good health and independent until a good age. In addition you will have a private pension and will be able to afford a decent standard of living, many people don't get that. Others work in low paid jobs, dojng work you don't notice and would not want to do, then retire, often completely shagged out and unable to enjoy retirement. Even if they had money.

Why not give up work then if you’re no better off?

Some people have pride and self respect